Alien Watch in a Monster School

The Frogs of War - Part 1

Yokai School Festival Day 3 – Halloween.

In the early morning, a sole figure strode through the wreckage of the once-great Yokai Academy. The fires had died out some time ago, allowing for the true extent of the damage to be seen. An eerie silence had fallen over what should have been a great day filled with laughter and friends.

The headmaster came to a stop at the remains of the bell tower. In front of him, the bell itself lay. He looked solemnly at the design depicting three powerful figures going into battle against a terrifying monster.

Letting out a sad sigh, he turned to look at the rest of the debris. Brick and wood lay as far as the eye could see. The attack on the academy had been far too destructive. As the first rays of the morning sun shone through what remained of the school, he knew there was no way to rebuild in such a short time.

"They certainly tore up the place," the robed man mused, thinking back to the strange beasts that had been roaming the grounds only hours before. "Now how should we handle this?"

XXX

"What do you mean closed?"

"I mean it's closed, Kurumu," Ruby said, handing her a closure notice. Around them, many of the other students were having similar conversations. They were stood outside the school gates which had been locked by a large chain.

"Can I see?" Christian asked, taking the paper from Kurumu. Moka and Mizore leaned in over his shoulder to read too.

"Temporary closure," the snow woman readout. "Due to damage to the school grounds and buildings, Yokai Academy will close for repairs. During this time, students will return to their homes and refrain from any unauthorised activity."

The teen passed around the notice to the rest of his friends so that everyone could see for themselves.

"It doesn't have a date on it either," Zack stated. "It could be closed for months."

"Go home?" Kurumu cried. "Christian, does this mean you're going back to the human world?" Before the teen could answer, Kurumu had already leapt at him, wrapping her arms around him with the grip of a vice. It was almost as if she was afraid that if she let go, he would vanish into mid-air.

"Kurumu, let go! You're making a scene!" Christian cried as he tried unsuccessfully to pry the girl off.

"Noooo! If I can't see you, how will I survive?"

"The same way you have every other day! Besides, I need to go back anyway!" He had been planning a trip back to Bellwood anyway. Khyber was still trapped within the Rust Bucket's holding cell and the Nemetrix needed to go back into Plumber storage."

"But..." Kurumu tried.

"We can still talk to each other though," Lala chipped in. From her purse, she produced several strange, cylindrical devices and handed them out. "If we use these, we can keep in contact."

"What are they?" Yukari asked, examining the device in her hand.

"I call them Mr Talk-Kun!" Lala said excitedly. "It allows us to talk over long distances."

"So, they're phones," Mizore said.

"Well... yes... but with this, we can even talk if one of us is in space," Lala said, a small bead of sweat falling down her brow.

"So, it's a space phone," Kurumu surmised.

Lala looked like she was about to say something before turning and dejectedly looking away, mumbling to herself.